LIFESCI 2D03 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Research Question, Classical Conditioning, Fixed Action Pattern
11 Jan 2017
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3. 1 scientists study both the proximate mechanisms that generate behaviour and the ultimate reasons why the behaviour evolved. Tinbergen"s four basic questions about animal behaviour: what is the mechanism that causes the behaviour? (proximate, how does the behaviour develop? (proximate, what is the function of the behaviour? (ultimate, how did the behaviour evolve? (ultimate) Proximate explanation: an explanation that focuses on understanding the immediate causes of a behaviour. Often incorporate studies of genetics, sensory systems, neurons, hormones, and learning. Ultimate explanation: an explanation of behaviour that requires evolutionary reasoning and analyses. Focus on reproduction and survivorship and the properties of the various ancestral generations of a species. 3. 2 researchers use observational, experimental, and comparative methods to study behaviour. Observational method: an approach in which scientists observe and record the behaviour of an organism without manipulating the environment or the animal. Commonly used to test hypotheses and to describe behavioural patterns (e. g. ethograms)
